


It all Started

by MLPMI6



Series: Omniversal [1]
Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Bipolar Disorder, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, POV First Person, POV Original Character, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow To Update, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:54:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22727986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MLPMI6/pseuds/MLPMI6
Summary: Ben's life isn't normal. He has always had issues, but he never paid them much time. How could he, he was just a kid, what did he know. But when he gains the powers and companionship of several aliens via a strange watch, he finds that he can finally, truly be himself.
Relationships: Ben Tennyson & Gwen Tennyson, Ben Tennyson & Max Tennyson, Ben Tennyson& Upgrade, Ben Tennyson/Gwen Tennyson, Charmcaster/Gwen Tennyson, Gwen Tennyson & Max Tennyson, Kevin Levin/Ben Tennyson
Series: Omniversal [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737568
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. And Then Their Were 10

Taking a deep breath I smiled as the bell rang. I didn't move for a bit, slowly piling my books into my bag, and waiting for the class to empty. Taking a deep breath I gave it another minute, I wrapped the straps of my bag around my hand. With one last breath, I headed into the halls, passing the small pockets of people as I made my way for the door. 

"Hey, you little freak!" I shuddered, tightening my hold on my bag as I hastened my pace. "Don't ignore me!"

Swallowing I whimpered as Crash's hand latched onto my shoulder, and he shoved me toward the wall. My shoulder hit it hard, pulling hot tears to my eyes. Crash quickly took advantage of this and pinned me in place with a cold chuckle. Whipping my eye, I quickly noticed a slowly growing crowd. A cold chill ran down my spine as I felt a sharp pain sparking in my cheek.

"Look at me you little bastard." Crash hissed, pulling my chin and locking eyes with me. "Trying to avoid me? Did you really think that you could avoid this? What a moron!"

I dropped my eyes to the ground with a gentle whimper. Crash did not like that, as he slapped me again. Harder, his nails digging into my cheek slightly. 

"Look me in the eye you little fag."

Taking a deep breath, I forced my eyes up to meet his. Crash's eyes were dark, cold, and angry. There was a deep hatred in them, but I could also see a spark of joy in them. I could feel my breath trembling as he let out a cold chuckle. Swallowing slightly, I felt a shiver run down my spine. He was taking pleasure in it, he liked hurting me.

"What's in the bag looser?" 

I didn't respond, gently biting my lip as he hit me a third time. My cheek burned painfully, and a small number of tears filled my eyes. A small laugh filled the crowd. And Crash smirked, hitting me a second time, tilting his hand slightly so his nails scratched my cheek.

"I asked you a question, what can't talk? You really are a moron."

Swallowing slightly I gripped my bag tighter. Crash's other hand gripped my shoulder painfully, and I could tell that it was going to bruise. Taking a deep breath I waited. I could handle the pain in my cheek, in my shoulder. The word hurt, but I would eventually be alright. I just had to wait. I wouldn't be able to get out with the number of people currently surrounding us, or blinded by the tears brought on by the words, and my now bleeding cheek. 

"You can't talk." Crash huffed, snarling slightly. "Get over yourself. No one thinks that you can occasionally go mute."

I dropped my eyes once again, looking into the crowd. A few people had left and the crowd had lightened slightly. Everyone was getting bored with this particular show, and soon I would be able to make my escape. Taking a deep breath I whipped my eye, took my bag straps with both hands and swung hard. Crash let out a small huff, easing his grip on my shoulder, and reading back slightly.

Falling to my knees, I took a deep breath and slipped out of the crowd. Several people surrounded Crash, but I paid it no mind as I headed out the main doors. Forcing a deep breath, I pressed my face into the nook of my arm and leaned momentarily against the school. My chest burned slightly, but I didn't want to cry anymore, not here. It was summer, and I was too tired to cry anymore. Rocking slightly, I managed to relax, then headed on. Keeping my breath stable, I made my way to the old oak tree in front of the school. From how big it was, the fullness of its leaves, it was probably as old as the school, if not older. Laying against the tree, I placed my bag on my lap and allowing myself to drift off. The sun was warm on my skin, luring me into a light, empty dream. I could vaguely hear the chatter around me, but it was distant. 

* * *

"Come on Ben!" Moaning softly I rubbed an eye and pulled myself into a sitting position. Blinking to clear my vision, I smiled weekly as I took note of the Rustbucket. "You can sleep on the road, we are starting to lose daylight."

Pulling myself to my feet I grabbed my bag and climbed onto the RV. My chest was somewhat heavy as I dropped my bag at the table. I was extremely tired, and I could hardly stay awake. The drive was going to be a long one, so a nap did seem like a good idea. Quietly I headed to the bed, quickly and collapsed. Closing the curtains, I slipped under the sheets. Taking a deep breath I attempted to clear my mind before blinking off. 

_The world around me faded quickly, turning to heavy darkness. For a moment my body became ice-cold, and I couldn't see anything. Then a whight fog started swirling my vision. With the fog came a comforting warmth, and I found myself standing on solid ground. Slowly a bright light followed, and as my vision adjusted I realized where I was. School, the last place that I ever wanted to be._

_'No, no-no. Why are we here?' I thought, gently biting my lip as I headed forward. T_ _aking a deep breath I glanced around, taking a few deep breaths. Everything seemed somewhat tall, and I had a feeling I knew the dream. It was the same dream that I had so often._

_Heading forward, I looked ahead eyes landing on him. Aster, my first actual crush. I don't know what I saw in him. Well, I kind of did. His hair was really nice, a sleek rusty orange, short and naturally neat. He was also a large boy, a fifteen-year-old standing tall at five-six. His eyes were a brilliant emerald, but most shocking of all was his gently tanned skin. He was good looking, but he always had an extremely cruel personality._

_'Why did I do this? I knew better. I knew it was going to make everything worse.' I thought, shivering slightly despite the warmth. 'I shouldn't have told him. None of it would have happened.'_

_Stepping forward I whimpered, clenching my hands in my large black pants. Dropping my head to the ground I sighed as I continued forward. I didn't want to, this wasn't me anymore. But I knew I could stop, I couldn't avoid it. I had meant it, and lying in a dream, well that never did anything to change the past. I didn't see the point. I knew my truth, I might as well just allow it to happen. I deserved it._

Bolting up with a gasp. I could feel cold sweat running down my neck, and my chest was burning painfully. Forcing air into my lungs, I whimpered slightly; tears running down my cheeks as I leaned against the wall. Pushing my arm against my eyes, I rocked gently and slowly relaxed.

"Hey Ben, you alright?" Looking over I smiled weakly, eyes landing on Gwen. "Ben?"

Moving to respond I felt my heart sink as my voice didn't come to me. It didn't catch, it didn't falter, it just never came. Letting out a sigh, I turned to her and started signing.

~My voice isn't working, do you know sign language?~

Gwen was silent for a moment, eyes widening as she let out a small chuckle. My heart skipped a beat but recovered as she smiled brightly. Her chuckle was warm, and she gently ruffled my hair. "Course I do doofus, you want me to match you or can I stay verbal?"

~Stay verbal, Gwen.~ I responded, smiling slightly weakly. ~Unless you really want to.~

"It's alright. I just wanted to make sure, it's always best to ask." Gwen responded, gently kissing my forehead. "But really, are you alright?"

~Eh, kind of.~ I shrugged, gently rubbing my eye quickly. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gwen asked, tilting his head slightly. "You seem, shaken."

Taking a deep breath I shook my head, quickly pulling her into a gentle hug. Once again she seemed a little shocked but held me close and let out a warm smile. Pulling back after a bit, I leaned against the bed. My mind was a bit blurry and my throat was dry. ~Gwen?~

"Yeah, ben?"

~Can you grab me a glass of water please?~

"Yeah, sure. Just give me a second alright?" Gwen responded, ruffling my hair quickly before heading towards the small kitchenette of the RV. As she grabbed the glass I smiled, chest lightening slightly. I was still extremely tired, but I wasn't getting back to sleep for a while. Gwen smiled back, gently handing me the glass. She didn't say anything as I quietly sipped the water, heading to the table with a smile. 

"What are you up to?"

Smiling up at her I held up my first two math books. She raised an eyebrow, but I just turned my attention to the work. It wasn't that hard, it was actually fairly easy. I was always good at math, I liked math. Finishing the first book fairly quickly, I chuckled as Gwen let out a playful chuckle. Smiling up at her I stuck out my tongue, stretching quickly and turning back to my work.

"You're really smart," Gwen whispered, sitting across from me. "You know that right?"

I was silent for a moment before nodding softly, a small amount of sadness welling in my chest. Her smile was so warm but at the same time it kind of hurt. Swallowing gently I nodded, turning intensely to a third book. Gwen quickly fell silent, gently ruffling my hair. Kissing my cheek she headed to the front of the RV. Glancing up I smiled as she sat next to Grandpa Max.

"Hey, can we get some ice-cream?"

Grandpa Max was quiet for a moment before he glanced back at me. He smiled before nodding. "Yeah, would you like that Ben?"

"Yeah." My voice was quiet, but that's all that came to me. I couldn't muster anything else as I finished my book. Placing them back in my bag, I lay back in bed. Letting out a small sigh, I grabbed my Gameboy and started playing some Pokemon. I wasn't great at it, but I enjoyed it. It was calming, something that I could do fairly simply.

"Well, it's settled then," Grandpa said, smiling brightly. "Were getting ice-cream."

* * *

As we pulled into the parking-lot I saved my game and placed it under my pillow. Following Gwen out, I smiled slightly and hopped down from the RV. Landing gracefully I headed in and started looking at the flavours. I didn't want anything strong, or too sweet. I just wanted a basic flavour. Looking at the options I smiled then headed back to Grandpa's side.

"Do you know what you want?" He asked, smiling brightly.

"Just a scoop of Vanilla and a scoop of Strawberry," I responded with a smile. "Nothing too sweet, just gentle ones."

Gwen chuckled, ruffling my hair with a smile. "Your voice is back."

I shrugged, smiling happily. Leaning against her side I smiled as we headed forward. I wasn't fully paying attention as the exhaust returned. I was tired, I wanted to go back to bed. Gwen held me close, allowing me to lean against her side. Her body was warm, comfortingly so. Gwen was a very warm person, a very loving person. I was happy to have her as my cousin.

"Why don't you go get a table." She suggested, smiling brightly as I nodded. I easily found a booth in the sun, sliding into the corner and laying against the window. The sun was warm against my skin, and I found myself drifting slightly. The world was buzzing, and distant as I fell into a light nap.

"Hey Ben, tired?"

"Yeah." I chuckled, groaning slightly and rubbing my eye. "Thanks."

"No problem Ben." She responded, sitting next to me and handing me my ice cream. 

Smiling, I turned my attention to the ice-cream. It was soft, sweet, but not that sweet. It was a perfect balance. 'At least things are looking up.'

Finishing my ice-cream I climbed back onto the RV and headed back to bed. Putting my Gameboy away I curled under the blanket, allowing myself to fall asleep. 

_Once again everything went dark. My body was heavy and as the world came into view I found myself in front of Aster. His hand was wrapped around my wrists, pinning me painfully against the wall, dangling me by the wrists. My wrists burned painfully, and my heart was racing. My chest was burning, and tears welled in the corners of my eyes._

_"You are a stupid little fag!" He hissed, backhanding me hard. Tears burned in my eyes, rolling down my cheeks as I dropped my head. Whimpering slightly, I swallowed. Taking a deep breath, I attempted to calm my breath. It didn't work, my chest was burning, and for a moment I thought my heart was going to explode. "You are going to get your comeuppance little fag."_

_"I'm sorry Aster." I whimpered, shivering painfully. My voice burned as I forced it to work. My throat hurt, the way it always did when I forced my voice. I wish I had stayed non-verbal at that moment._

_'You wouldn't have been safe.' I scolded myself, biting my lip hard. 'He would have hurt you anyways.'_

_"Oh, so you can speak. Sounds painful, that good. You deserve nothing else." Aster snarled, dropping me to the ground. Curling into a ball I glanced around the crowd. A huge group had surrounded us, and they were shouting, but I couldn't hear a word they were saying. I never knew what they were saying. I didn't want to. I knew what it would be about. I was just the special-ed fag to be mocked and ridiculed by the masses._

_'This is wrong. This is so wrong!' I whimpered, forcing air into my lungs. 'This should have never happened.'_

_"Someone tie him up!" Aster called, walking away from me. "Then get him to the car."_

Shooting awake I gasped for air, glancing around the room. A cold sweat ran down my neck causing me to shiver painfully. Rolling into a small ball I started rocking back and forth, whimpering gently. My eyes were burning with tears as they ran down my cheeks.

"Ben? What's going on?" Gwen whispered, sitting next to me and placing a gentle kiss on my forehead. Smiling weakly I shook my head, rubbing my eye. "Please Ben, you're in tears."

~Gwen, I really don't want to talk about it.~ I signed, taking a deep breath. ~Expesialy since I can't talk.~

"Alright, Ben. I mean I don't understand this muteness, I have never heard of this kind of muteness, but I get it. You don't want to talk about it." Gwen whispered, gently pulling me into a deep hug. "Just, you are okay. Whatever happened is over now."

'You wish.' I sighed, standing and making my way to the table. 'I wish.' 

Letting out a soft sigh I grabbed another book and turning my focus to it. At this rate, by the end of the month I would be done with my math. 

"I'm going to head out, alright Ben?"

I nodded but didn't pay her much mind. She let out a small sigh, then headed out of the Rustbucket. Taking a deep breath, I finished the book fas and followed her out. Taking a deep breath, I collapsed at the picknick table with a small sigh. I was absolutely exhausted still, and my voice wasn't coming to me. It was always annoying when I couldn't talk; so many people didn't believe that I couldn't talk, that if I forced myself to, it hurt. 

'Don't think about it, it will go away.' I thought, running a hand through my hair. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Gwen as I saw he move next to the Rustbucket. Scanning the tree I gasped, Juslting up and snapping in an attempt to catch her attention. Gwen looked up momentarily and rolled her eyes before leaning against the tree. Breath hitching I whimpered as she let out a small yell of shock, feet sliding slightly in the mud. As she went to recover she lost her balance and fell arm brushing against the all too familiar, three-leaved plant, Poison ivy.

"What the hell?"

"Ivy." My voice was quiet and harsh. "Your arm."

"So you can talk!" She hissed glaring darkly at me. "So why don't you?"

My breath hitched, eyes widening as tears burned in the corner of my eyes. The warmth from Gwen was gone, replaced with a cold, angry storm. Her eyes burned with tears as if I had somehow betrayed her. Opening my mouth to respond, my voice caught painfully in my throat, heart pounding in my ears. My breath was starting to burn, and I could feel anxiety rising in my chest. 

"Your back to being mute. Ben, you need help! You need help! Whatever makes you do this, it's not normal!" She hissed, anger slipping slightly to concern. "You need to talk to someone."

Letting out a small sigh, I climbed back onto the Rustbucket and started looking around. Grabbing a water bottle I headed back out and tossed it to her before nodding to the mud. She scrunched her face a bit and scoffed as I gently rubbed my arm. At her confusion, I turned to my second language. ~Rince it off, then put a layer of mud on it. I couldn't find any ointment, and I'm not sure if we have meds, so that will have to do for now. ~

"I know how this works idiot!" She hissed, falling silent quickly. My heart stopped, and the painful sea of sadness welled in my chest. The one word burnt painfully, a loud ringing filling my ears. My breath hitched, a chill running down my spine. Backing up slightly, I turned and bolted. I just ran, tears running down my face. 

* * *

Coming to a halt I collapsed, bringing my head to my knees and sobbing. Rocking gently I gave into the painful sobs. It felt like I was drowning, a bitter, salty taste in my mouth. My breaths were coming in short sharp bursts. It felt like small shards of metal were cutting my lungs and my eyes burned the way they did when I looked at the sun, or light too long. 

'Fuck me.' I whimpered, collapsing to my side and started rocking slightly. Everything hurt, and there was a burning pressure in my head. Locking a hand in my hair, I yanked it hard. Hissing painfully, I whimpered. My head was so heavily fogged, and my brain felt like there was a five-ton weight on it. Whimpering, I balled a fist. Tapping the back of my head softly I realized what I had to do. With a shaky breath brought my fist down on the back of my head with a loud crack. A small amount of pressure eased, as pain sparked up my arm. Hitting my head again, I screamed, punching over and over, rocking as I did. The sound was horrible, echoing in the forest as I sobbed.

As the pressure eased, I eased the punches. Even after the pressure was gone I continued rocking. As my breathing eased, I brought myself to my feet and headed down a familiar path. My head was throbbing where I had hit, and my knuckles were bleeding lightly. 

'Four years. You lasted four years, and not this.' Taking a deep breath I gently pushed my fingers against where I had hit. As my fingers hit my scalp I hissed, yanking my hand back and glancing at the warm stickiness. Blood, there was blood on my fingers. Not a lot, I could still see my skin under the thin layer, but it was still there. Sighing softly I picked up my pace. Reaching the large silvery lake, I knelt gently washing my hands and biting my lip.

Taking a few deep breaths, I pulled my t-shirt over my head I dipped a corner of it in the cold water. With a few more breaths, I pushed it against the bleeding spot and hissed. It burned, a small amount of bile rising in my throat. Coughing, I spat outa small amount of black gunk, but I kept the pressure on my head. I needed to stop the bleeding, even if it wasn't bad.

After a few minutes, I pulled the shirt away and quickly checked the blood. It wasn't too heavy, that was calming. Shifting it, I gently pressed it against my head and pulled back quickly. Dry, the bleeding had stopped. Placing the now bloodied shift in the water, I gently rubbed the blood spot. The spot lightened slightly but didn't disappear. I didn't expect it to. That would be ridiculous. It was blood, blood-stained. 

Standing once again I headed back to the little clearing, laying my shirt on a rock before laying against a log. Taking a deep breath I took in the sounds of the world, the birds, the rustling leaves, and a distant howl of a wolf. The sun was warm against my skin as I waited, just listening. It was calming, and I took a deep breath, pulling myself to my feet and checking my shirt. It was still somewhat wet, but it was dryer. Taking it off I easily pulled over my head and started looking for firewood. It wasn't that hard in a forest, the ground was littered with twigs, and small branches.

After a few hours, the sun had started to set, and the pile was still slightly small. 'It's something.'

Laying on the ground I looked towards the sky, watching the sky sink from pinks to royal purples, then to a dark plum. The sky was like a beautiful painting, speckles with flicks of silver and spots of brilliant whight. As I lay there, a red flame started nearing me. Chuckling I watched the meteor growing closer. 

'Of all the ways, this will be really fucking cool.' I thought with a chuckle. My heart sank slightly, however, as it flashed over my head and crashed into the middle of the clearing, right on top of my hard work. 

"Really! Was there a reason for that?" I shouted, glancing up at the sky. "I worked hard on that!"

Huffing I looked back as the crash, dropping my arms as I noticed the metallic sheen. 'Alright, that is weird.' 

Heading forward I reached towards it, chuckling as it opened. The light was slightly blinding, but I reached forward for whatever was inside the sphere. It looked metallic as well, almost like a watch. Before I could react, the object leaped forward, wrapping itself around my wrist. My heart started racing as I stumbled back with a scream, tripping over a log and falling hard on my back. The scream stopped with a painful puff as the wind was knocked out of me. Rolling to my side I found myself lost to a painful fit of coughing. As I regained my breath, I started rocking. The pain and fear slowly subsided, and I found myself playing with the dial of the watch. It was strangely calming as I turned it slowly and methodically. 

As I was playing with the watch, I glanced down at it, eyes widening as the dial sank back in. A flash of green light surrounded me and for a moment anxiety leapt in my heart. Taking a deep breath I looked down, only for my anxiety to leap again. My hand was on fire. 

'Oh shit!" I hissed flailing my arm as my eyes scanned my body. 'I'm on fire!' 

'You aren't on fire.' A smooth voice responded, echoing slightly in my head. 'Your alright child.'

"Who are you?" I shouted, quickly glancing around me. "What's going on?"

'I'm not in the outer world like you.'

"What are you talking about?" I shouted, the flames in my hands leaping. "Show yourself!"

'As I said, I can't.' The voice responded with a small sigh. 'I'm not in your world. I'm in the watch.'

"What are you!"

'Please try to calm down so I can explain.'

Forcing myself to take a deep breath I nodded. I could feel my arms trembling and I dropped my arms to my side. 

'Thank you. My name is Heatblast and I am A Pyronite.' Heatblast said, voice hilding pride. 'I am one of many aliens in the watch, one of ten that I know of. Upgrade sais they can sense an eleventh, but who knows.'

"I don't understand," I muttered, taking a deep breath. "Why am I on fire?"

'Your not. You transformed into my body, you are using my form.'

"So you're on fire?"

'First of all, you don't have to talk out loud. If someone walks up on this, you might look a bit mad.' Heatblast sighed, 'Second of all, no. I am the fire. It what my species is made of.'

Chuckling slightly I examined my... His? Our arm. I didn't feel the fire, none of it. I didn't really feel anything, which was kind of strange. Taking a deep breath I experimentally formed a ball of fire in our hand before letting it melt back into the rest of the flames. It was beautiful, and I experimented with it once again. After a few attempts I chuckled.

'What kind of powers do we have. I mean fire, but what can we do with it?'

'Well there are several ways we can start the, but we can also put them out.' He responded, chuckling slightly. 

My heart fluttered excitedly, and I formed a ball of fire in my hands. Chuckling I tossed it into a nearby bush, I caught quickly. Laughing energetically I tossed a few more balls into the brush. The fire spread fast, but I kept going. After several minutes Heatblast let out a shout.

'What are you doing!' He shouted, voice trembling slightly.

"Practicing," I responded aloud with a small shrug. "Now we put it out,"

'Ben, this is a massive forest fire. You aren't going to be able to handle it.'

'Walk me through it.' I responded with a small sigh. 'I'm sorry Blast, I didn't mean to go this far. I just got too into it.'

'Alright. Just hold out your arms and try to pull the fire to you.' 

Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes I raised my arm and took a few deep breaths, only to hear a loud *fwoom* eyes widening as I realized what I was doing. Instead of pulling the fire to my palms, I was casting it like flamethrowers. Swallowing gently I dropped my arms and shook my head. Taking a deep breath huffed and tried again. Raising my arms I tried again only for the same thing to happen. Flames burst from my hands adding to the fire, burning brilliantly in front of me.

'Take your time Ben.' Heatblast whispered, voice soft as he spoke. 'Don't force it, let it come to you.'

Closing my eyes once again I raised my arms. Taking a few deep breaths I willed the fire to me only to hear the loud fwoom in my ears.

'Ben, let me take over.' Heatblast whispered as anger rose in my chest. 'Your anger is just going to make the situation worse.'

'Alright.' I sighed, shaking my head slightly and closed my eyes. In my mind, I could see Heatblast in front of me. he gave a soft smile as he pulled me into a quick hug and lead me out of the darkness to a screen. Gently he pushed me through it and I found myself in a metallic room. Heatblast vanished, and the screen changed and I was seeing the outside world. It was like seeing everything through Heatblast's eyes, they were no longer mine, but his.

'The Watchroom' He said, chuckling slightly. 'Look around, I'll take care of this.'

'Alright.' I sighed, turning and heading deeper into the world of the watch.

* * *

Taking a deep breath I bit my lip, guilt washing over me as I paced. My mind was reeling as I ran over the words in my head. A heavy storm of concern and fear echoing as I tried to calm down. I had never meant to hurt Ben, but I was just so angry. But my words were too harsh. 

'You didn't even say that much.' I reminded myself, but it didn't matter. My words had hurt him, they had done their damage. 'You have nothing to apologize for, you told the truth.'

That much was true, I had called him out on his strange mutism, his avoidance to face his issues. But I had gone too hard, too strong. I had alowed my anger to overcome me and I had taken it out on him. I had just snapped, and his eyes almost instantly filled with pain and fear. He was broken by it.

'He's being bullied.' I realized, a small chill running down my spine. 'And he hates himself.'

Taking a deep breath I turned towards the forest, heart freezing as a large plume of smoke caught my eye. A fire, and a big one. Frear quickly consumed my guilt and I forced myself to take a deep breath. Glancing over at Grandpa Max, I realized he wasn't even reacting to the fire, he bearly seemed to even notice it as he cooked some strange, tentacle looking thing over the fire. Taking a deep breath, I headed into the Rustbucket and grabbed a heavy scarf, wrapping it around my nose and mouth and rushed out into the forest. Allowing my feet to carry me, I just alowed the wind to guide me. I had never been to the camp, but something was calling me down the path, and I just followed. 

Reaching a now chared clearing, my eyes landed on a man. A man-made out of fire from the looks of it. I couldn't see Ben anywhere, but the flaming man was doing something to the fire. The main issue was I had no idea what he was doing. Kneeling, I grabbed a large branch and made my way forward.

"Hey!" 

"A little busy at the moment!"

"Setting the forest on fire?"

"Putting it out." He responded, quickly glancing back at me. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my cousin. What did you do to him?" I hissed, stepping forward and rearing the branch like a bat. "Where is Ben?"

The man huffed, taking in a deep breath the man turned to me and tilted his head. "Gwen right?"

I nodded, gently biting my lip as I made my way forward. Taking a deep breath I lowered the branch as he offered a soft smile.

"It's a long story, Gwen. I'll explain after that-" He nodded to the fire, "-is dealt with. Alright?"

"Fine."

"The name is Heatblast by the way."

Heatblast smiled one again then turned back to the fire. Raising his hands, he closed his eyes and raised his arms. As he did the fire started swirling towards him from the large fire to his hands. The fire started diming, and eventually it was out. Admittedly it was beautiful, and I found myself lost in his flickering flames. The world around me was somewhat lost to me. I did vaguely hear a cracking mear me but didn't pay it too much mind until Heatblast lunged at me, flames diming as he yanked me to the side. My eyes widened as a chared tree crashed down on the spot I was standing.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," I responded, voice trembling slightly. "Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Good, now. Let's walk and talk" 

"Alright. But first, what are you?" I asked, smiling up at him.

"I am a Pyronite. I'm one of the ten aliens in the watch that Ben found. He turned to me by accident. bit of a panic attack from his initial reaction. He's safe before you ask. he's in the watch." Heatblast tapped the strange emblem on his chest. "Doesn't show up as a watch for all of us, but since he is the main host, it will reveal itself as a watch."

"So he's in that?"

"Yes, and I wish I could explain a bit better. But I'm not the one who would be able to explain how the watch or the inner world would work." 

"Inner world?"

"Yeah, there are a bunch of rooms in the Watch. It's a very advanced piece of technology." He responded, following me down the path. "As I said, I'm not the best to explain, but I don't doubt Ben is talking to Grey Matter in the watch. There is a ten-minute time limit, then the watch will time out, I know that. When Ben comes back you all should talk. I have a feeling that your family is more than either of you two know."

"Alright, but why was the forest on fire?"

"Ben went a bit too far. He wanted to practice, as by default he will be in control of the alien forms he takes. I only took over when he started getting overwhelmed and couldn't handle putting it out."

My heart clenched as I froze. Ben started the fire, on purpose. He could have gotten me killed, he could have gotten everyone killed. Anger rose quickly in my chest quickly and I turned to Heatblast. 

"I'll kill the idiot!"

"Don't call him that. He's not stupid. He's going through something, sure. But he's not stupid." 

"I know, I'm sorry." I sighed, dropping my head. "But he can't really think that his 'mutism' is normal, or that the dreams are normal."

"He went too far, he admitted that. He knows he did, and he became upset but it. He got frustrated, and the more he failed at fixing it, the more upset he got. Then he relaxed when I said I knew how to handle it. I'm no genius, and I am new to this world, but I think going hard on a kid like Ben is going to do more damage then it is good. He's going to go into his shell and he's going to hide from everything that could be wrong."

"Then tell me what's wrong!"

"I don't know, and even if I did it's not my place to say." He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Look, keep on him, keep supporting him. Let him know that he has someone that he can turn to that won't force him into a situation that he may be hospitalized. He's ten Gwen, don't you think that the possibility of something being wrong with him scares him?"

"I...Yeah, that's fair." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Do you know how old you are?"

"No, and I don't know how age works. Were not all the same age, some don't seem to have an age." Heatblast shrugged with a small sigh. "I'm older, Teen?"

"How did you..."

"Gwen. I, Don't, Know." Heatblast's anger flared slightly, before dimming quickly. "I'm sorry, but I don't know."

Turning I paused as a beeping sound from the emblem, which was now flashing red. Before I could say anything he was surrounded by a brilliant flash of red. When the light faded, Ben stood in his place smiling brightly. he let out a small chuckle as I pulled him into a gentle hug. Holding him close I gently ruffled his hair with a smile. 

"Hey, Ben. I'm sorry about earlier."

"Sokay, you were just pointing something out. You were saying what you believed. It's fine." He whispered, yawning slightly. "Tred."

"Yeah, I just have some questions," I whispered. "Not about what happened, we can deal with that when you are ready. I just want to know what you learned in the watch."

Ben was silent for a moment before nodding. "Let's get back to the Rustbucket, this involves Grandpa too." 

Nodding I followed Ben back to the camp sigh and let out a small sigh. He had a point. This was important, and it involved all of us. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't reacted to the fire, to the smoke. Something was wrong, he knew something, I could feel it. 

* * *

As we reached the campsite I collapsed at the picknick table. Rubbing an eye I glanced over at Gwen and Grandpa Max. Gwen looked extremely tense, and Grandpa looked concerned. I was exhausted, rubbing my eyes gently. Yawning I twisted the dial of the watch gently. It was timed out, there was no danger in accidentally transforming again. No one had said a word since we returned. 

'They don't know what to say. They are going to turn against you.' I thought with a small whimper. 'They're going to get you to the hospital, there going to lock you up.'

"Hey Ben, you alright?" Gwen asked making her way to my side. "You look tired, we don't have to talk about this right now."

"No, it's alright. I'm tired, but I'm more than willing to talk about this."

Gwen nodded, holding me close and gently kissing my cheek. Her skin was warm again, and her eyes held the warmth as well. 

"Alright. So about the Watch. How did you find it?" Max asked, tilting his head slightly. "Where did you find it?"

"The forest. A meteor landed in the clearing and I investigated it latched to my wrist."

"Alright, well when you transformed, what were you doing?" He continued, smiling softly. Like Gwen, he gave off warmth, a slight glow of kindness. 

"I had a bit of a panic attack when it latched to my wrist, I don't like them being touched. So when it lunged at me I was startled, when it latched to me I panicked."

"Your knuckles are red," Gwen whispered, face falling slightly. "You alright?"

"Yeah, just an episode."

"Anger?"

"I don't know. I was more just overwhelmed by emotions. I don't really want to talk about it, but I will be okay."

Gwen nodded, ruffling my hair. "What was with the fire?" there was a note of amusement in her voice, and she let out a soft chuckle.

"I went too far." I chuckled softly, leaning against her shoulder. "Got in too deep."

"So you set the fire?" Max asked.

"Yes, but I meant to put it out too. Heatblast handled that."

Grandpa nodded with a small smile, letting out a small sigh. Rubbing my eye I yawned, letting out a small sigh. 'Ask to go to bed.'

"Hey, it's getting late. I can hardly stay awake, can we talk in the morning?" 

"Yeah, go get some sleep," Grandpa whispered, smiling as I stood and headed to bed.

* * *

Waking up with a small moan I pulled myself out of bed and rubbed my eye. Standing I headed out of the RV and to the picknick table. The smell of bacon and eggs filled my nose, waking me up more and pulling a smile to my lips. Stretching my back I accepted a small plate of food and pulled my attention to it. 

"Morning Ben, sleep alright?"

"Better then I have been," I responded with a small nod. "I'm still a bit exhausted, but I'm feeling a bit better." 

"That's good," Max responded with a bright smile. "Do you want to talk about last night?"

"What do you want to know?" I asked, eating a large forkful of eggs. 

"What happened in the Watch?"

"I met an alien, a frog-like one, called Grey Matter," I responded with a small nod. "We talked for a bit, apparently the Watch's creator kind of knows you."

Grandpa was silent, letting out a small sigh with a nod. "That's because he doses."

"So wait, how?"

"I'm not a typical Plumber. I am a retired interstellar cop of sorts."

"Really?"

"Yes, but it's in my past now," Max responded with a small nod. "I don't do that anymore."

"Alright, but now with the watch?"

"I'm going to avoid what I can, but if you want to, you can use your new powers how you deem fit." 

Smiling I nodded, stretching slightly and finished my food. As Gwen headed out of the RV I smiled happily as she sat next to me. leaning against her shoulder I smiled as she ruffled my hair. 

"Did you sleep alright?" She asked, smiling as I nodded. "That's great."

"So about last night..."

"Grandpa used to work as a space cop," I responded with a small shrug. "I don't think there is much else to talk about it."

"I guess that's fair," Gwen said with a small sigh. "You still tired?"

"A bit, but I haven't been sleeping great," I admitted with a small shrug. "It should go away soon."

Gwen let out a small sigh but gently kissed my forehead. Laying close I stood and headed out. Heading down the walking path I let out a sigh. Thankfully the fire hadn't spread that far, but the further I went the blacker the trees became, and the brighter the sun seemed. It was somewhat heartbreaking, and I felt really bad. This was my fault, I burnt down a good amount of the forest.

'You just got over-excited.' I thought, gently biting my lip as I looked around. 'You know you didn't mean to.'

Taking a deep breath I nodded, sitting crosslegged in the middle of what remained of my little clearing. Laying on my back I let out a small chuckle. The trees were charred black, but the sun was giving them a strange glow. It was beautiful, and I couldn't help but laugh. 'This is wrong. This is so wrong. Why am I laughing?'

Rocking on the spot I started combing my hands through my hair, smiling up at the sky. The sun burned my eyes but I didn't care. It was comforting against my skin, and I just loved the warmth. Taking a deep breath I stood and continued walking. The damage had spread far, further than I could have ever thought. The trees around the small lake were chared, several of them were downed. it was so strange, the contrast of the brilliant blue water and the charred black forest. It was so strangely beautiful, so comforting.

'I wonder if the water warmed up.' I thought, making my way up to the edge. kneeling I dipped my hand in and chuckled. Despite the air being hot from the fire still, the water was still somewhat icy and cold. On a day like this, it was going to be nice to swim. Heading to a rock I tossed my jeans and t-shirt on it before jumping into the lake. The icy water shot sparks down my spine, but it felt strangely nice. Pushing my way to the surface I chuckled, shivering already. Climbing out I chuckled and collapsed onto a huge rock. It was warm and soothing against my now tingling skin. Laying out for a bit I chuckled with a smile. Taking a deep breath I curled into a slight ball and purring gently. 

Drifting slightly, I alowed the world around me to fade into the comfortable buzz of a half-sleep. The warm sun was comforting as I slowly dried off from my quick dip. Everything was comforting, and the small amount of sleep that I was gaining was energizing. As I slowly blinked awake I gently started rocking slightly. Taking another breath, I re-dressed and headed back to the campsite. Grandpa and Max were talking happily as I quickly headed into the RV. Quickly changing into a light grey t-shirt and green shorts. Heading back out I hugged Gwen before returning to the table.

"You seem really happy," Gwen whispered with a small smile. "Calm even."

"Cold," I said with a chuckle. "Took a dip in the lake, it was colder than I thought."

Gwen chuckled and nodded, ruffling my hair once again. 

"Why does that feel so nice?"

"I'm not sure Ben," Gwen responded, chuckling slightly. "It could just be one of those things."

"Gwen, you know the fire was an accident right?"

Gwen was silent for a moment before nodding. There was pain in her smile, a sadness in her eyes that she was trying to hide. But she was still so warm, giving off a loving light. A blue light, but a light all the same. Chuckling I quickly hugged her and returned to the bench, leaning back against the tabletop. It was one of those weeks, I was just running on low batteries and I was draining fast. It was probably connected to the dreams, but there was no way to prove it. 

"Ben?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean to push, but do you think you have some kind of somnia?" Gwen asked, tilting her head. "Insomnia, hypersomnia."

"What's hypersomnia?"

"It's where you are very tired a lot. It's kind of the opposite of insomnia."

"Maybe?"

"Well, how often do you need to have naps?"

"It varies from week to week, sometimes day to day," I responded, shrugging slightly. "It's hard to tell. Besides, I don't really care enough." 

"I guess that's fair. you, umm... You think the dreams have something to do with it?" Gwen's voice was soft and delicate. It was clear she was concerned, and I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. 

"I don't know, and I don't entirely care."

Gwen let out a soft sigh, then nodded. "Have you ever heard of the Spoon Theory?"

"Nerd." I teased, sticking out my tongue. Gwen rolled her eyes with a huffed chuckle, but she smirked happily. 

"No I haven't," I responded, shaking my head. "Why spoons?"

"Alright, how about the battery theory?"

"No, but that does make a bit more sense," I responded, letting out a small sigh. "Tell me about it."

"Well everyone has a battery, and through the day that battery drains. For most people, it doesn't drain that fast and it recharges easily. For others, one or both of those things aren't true. They either drain quickly, or they cant recharge for one reason or another. This seems to be the case for you, something is draining you really quickly, I think it's safe to say it's a somnia. Then you are having a hard time recharging. This could be caused by many things, including the issue that is draining you." Gwen explained with a small smile. "It's atypical, but it doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with you. I drain slightly fast sometimes, it depends on what I'm doing."

"I re-energize better if I nap in the sun, does that mean I'm solar powered?"

"I guess so." Gwen chuckled as I stretched once again. "Night terrors probably don't help."

"Probably not," I admitted with a small shrug. "But I don't know how to care more than I do. I don't want to care any more than I do."

"Bad dreams can be something more. They may not be but they can be."

"I know Gwen, I just. Can we stop talking about this?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't anymore," I responded, playing with the dial. "Want to play fetch with an alien pup?"

"What?"

Smirking at Gwen I turned the dial and pushed it in, allowing myself to take a new form. Seeing from this form was weird. It wasn't normal by any means. Everything was different colours, heat signatures from what I could tell. It was extremely beautiful. Gwen yelped, and flinched back but slowly started chuckling slightly. 

"You want to play ball?"

Gasping I nodded, bouncing slightly. Gwen chuckled, disappearing momentarily into the Rustbucket and returning with a soccer ball. Holding it up, she smiled and kicked it. Quickly I dashed, grabbing the ball somewhat delicately in my mouth and trotting back. Gwen laughed, wincing slightly as I dropped the now slobbered ball at her feet. She kicked it again, and once again I dashed after it. This went on for a long time, longer than either of us really expected as the time out beeping filled my ears. I ignored it as I lunged for the ball once more, only to be engulfed in a flash of red, landing face-first onto the ball. 

As I fell I didn't have enough time to react as my face slammed into the ball. A loud crack filled the campgrounds, and I screamed. Pain erupted in my nose and I fell to my side sobbing. My nose was gushing, I could feel the blood running down my face. Collapsing my hands to my nose I sobbed, a chill running down my spine as I started rocking.

"Ben, let me look." Gwen hissed, concern lacing her voice. "Let me look."

Shuddering I carefully pulled myself into a sitting position and removed my hands. Gwen gasped, quickly dashing to the Rustbucket and returning with a cloth. My heart froze as she pressed it to my face.

"Bite your shirt."

"What?"

"Bite your shirt. This is going to hurt." She hissed, pressing the bridge of my nose. Rolling the bottom of my shirt I bit down hard and she took my shoulder. "On three. One."

Gwen tightened her grip on my shoulder. "Two."

"Three." As the word left her mouth she pushed hard on the side of my nose, which cracked painfully. As she did, however, a bright blue glow encased her hand and my nose. The pain quickly faded and Gwen gasped as she pulled back. The bleeding had just stopped, my nose felt better. 

"Ummm. Okay, well. That happened." Gwen muttered, gently kissing my forehead. "You good?"

"Yeah. That was really fucking cool." I said, laughing gently. Glancing up at her I smiled. "You're a healer."

"I suppose so, but I have no idea how I did that." Gwen laughed, gently pulling me into a gentle hug. "We are both special, aren't we?"

"Absolutely."

"Let's get you cleaned up alright?"

Nodding, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as she helped me to my feet. My head was buzzing slightly, but it wasn't too bad. Taking a deep breath I shuddered as she sat me at the picknick bench and grabbing a few more towels before helping me to my feet once more.

"Where are we going?"

"Lake."

Nodding I moaned as my vision momentarily blurred and I tightened my grip around her shoulder. My head throbbed once again and I had to force myself to take a few deep breaths. Gwen didn't say anything, but I could feel her concern as her grip tightened as well. For a moment she stopped walking, holding me gently.

"You good?"

"A little dizzy, but I'll recover," I responded, groaning slightly. "My head hurts."

"Yeah, you were bleeding kind of badly." Gwen chuckled, but it wasn't a happy one. It sounded sad. "It's going to take a while for that to heal."

Taking a few deep breaths I leaned against her shoulder as we headed forward. As we headed to the lake we had to stop a few times as my vision blurred, or I nearly blacked out. Gwen's warmth had cooled, a grey note of fear entering her light. Her grip on me was tight around my shoulders as she sat me against a rock before heading to the lake and soaking one of the cloths. Making it back to my side, Gwen gently started cleaning my face. She was being extremely careful and it made sense. My nose had just been broken, then magically wasn't. She was not going to risk anything.

"It's okay Gwen, you can put pressure," I muttered, moaning slightly. "My head hurts, but the dry blood feels awful."

Gwen was silent for a moment before nodding, Cupping my cheeks and holding me tightly and started pushing a bit harder as he rubbed away the blood. It hurt a little, but as the blood was removed it felt so much better. Smiling softly chuckled as she dropped the cloth to the ground, and headed back to the lake with the second. When she returned, however, I pulled away, eyes widening slightly as she reached for my hands.

"Ben. Ben! It's just me. Blood remember?" Gwen whispered, quickly getting down to my level. "Ben, that's a bad reaction to someone gently going for your hands. All I'm going to ask of you now is that you admit you have triggers. Nothing else, I just want to know what else sets you off like that. I don't want to scare you."

"I just, don't like being grabbed at suddenly. Normally my chin is the same way, but I basically told you to, so that was fine. But, my hands and wrists are bad triggers." I said with a small sigh. "Go for the elbow first or tap at my shoulder, make it clear what you want and go slow to my hands."

"Alright, Ben. Now may I glean them? You're dizzy, I think it's better if I do it." 

"Yeah, just. Be a little gentler."

"Of course. I just... Ben, I won't tell Grandpa if you tell me what happened. You don't have to, but I'm here okay?"

"I made a mistake and it lead me to getting semi-publicly beaten and raped last year."

"Oh my god, Ben. I... I am so sorry." Gwen whispered, gently kissing my forehead. "That's terrible. That is absolutely terrible, and no one should have to deal with it."

"It's okay Gwen. I messed up. I knew what I was doing was dangerous, I just didn't think it was that bad."

"It is bad Ben. But I'll back off, and I really am sorry. This is what the dreams are about, right?"

"Yeah. No more talking about it okay?"

"Yeah, can I ask about your knuckles?"

"Just... I would prefer not. I don't understand the episodes, and they don't come often. It's okay." I responded, nodding slowly. "Okay?"

"Of course, just remember. I'm here." Gwen whispered, kissing my forehead as she gently started cleaning my hands. Her touch was soft, and she was using just enough pressure to remove the dry blood.

"Thank you, Gwen." 

Gwen Smiled, dropping the now bloodied cloth and soaking the final cloth. As she returned she nodded to my hands, smiling as I held them out. "Ben."

"Yeah?"

"You are smart, strong, and brave. Never. Never! Forget that." Gwen said, voice holding a strong authority. "Understand?"

"Y-yeah." 

"Good. Now, lay down and try to have a nap okay?" Gwen whispered, smiling as I curled up next to the rock. "That's good. Sleep soundly, Ben."

* * *

Flinching awake I let out a shout as a loud *thwam* filled my ears. Glancing over at Gwen I quickly noticed the red drone sparking on the ground. Two more were buzzing around her head, shooting lasers, but she was holding her own.

"Gwen?"

"Is the watch timed in yet?"

"No, it's still red!" I called running a hand through my hair. "What's happening?"

"No clue!" Gwen shouted, batting one of the drones into another as they started swarming. "Get to safety!"

"Not without you!" I shouted, running towards her and tackling one of the drones to the ground. "Come on!"

"Just run Ben!" Gwen hissed, glaring slightly as I started throwing rocks. "Fuck, Ben Please! You're a fast drainer."

"So are you!"

"Not as bad." She responded, knocking down more drones. "You need to go!"

"So do you!" I hissed, turning quickly. "Please Gwen, come on!"

Taking a deep breath Gwen shook her head, pushing me out of the way. I stumbled hard but quickly recovered as she smashed another to the ground. Before I could say anything, my eyes widened as the Rustbucket rammed into several drones. No one had to say anything both me and Gwen rushed onto the RV and collapsed into the seats. We were all silent as we headed back to the campsite and rushed to the parking lot. Not that anyone had to say anything, it was clear what was going on, Drones were swarming everyone. Not only that but a huge one was shooting everything that moved. 

"The watch is back!" I called, turning the dial. "Get everyone to safety! I have a metal bat under the bed, you can take that Gwen."

"Right!" Gwen called, quickly grabbing the bat as Grandpa parked, and I pressed the dial-in. When the flash faded, I raised an arm and started shooting diamonds at the drones. Gwen quickly rushed off in the direction, sticking behind me as I formed a shield with my arm, rushing forward to the larger one. I could hear people screaming all around me, I knew people were being slaughtered, but I couldn't get close. The large robot's laser kept chipping chunks of diamonds off the shields, bouncing then all over the place.

'Keep strong child. You are strong, you can do this.' Diamondhead called, voice strong.

'I know. I'm confused, I don't understand, and people are dying.' I responded, forcing myself to take a deep breath. 'This is terrifying.'

'I know, but you must keep a focus.' 

Nodding, I put both of my arms together and formed a large shield and headed forward. Fear tugged at my heart and I trudged forward shuddered as a loud crack sounded, a small line forming in the shield. Taking a deep breath I thickened the shield and started bending it, pilling the refraction with it. It was hard, the beam was actually pushing me back several feet. Not only that but the beeping and red flashing scared me.

"Come on! Ome on!" I hissed, eyes narrowing as the beeping got faster. "Come on!"

A red flash surrounded me as the robot exploded. Collapsing to my knees I started sobbing gently, rocking as bits of robot rained down around me. Curling into a ball, I could hardly breathe as a pounding filled my head, pressure building around my brain. Whimpering slightly started rocking, pulling my hair once again. my head was throbbing and my chest burned. Another meltdown, of course. balling a fist I quickly rammed it into the back of my head. 

"Ben? Hey, shhh." I could hardly hear the voice as I punched. "It's okay, your okay." 

Whimpering, confusion poked through the terror for a split second as my hand his something soft. As I continued hitting, whimpering as the pressure just built. Tears burned my eyes, and salt built in the back of my throat.

"Ben, it's okay. it's okay. Rock, just keep rocking. It will help."

Gwen's voice was soft but distant. I could feel her gently ruffling my hair. Slowly my breath came to me, but with it came extream exhaustion. I could hardly sit as she gently wrapped an arm around my shoulder. 

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay," I responded, smiling gently as I leaned against her. "I'm extremely tired."

"That makes sense. Grandpa is speaking with the cops right now, but we should be free to go soon."

"Good." 

After a few minutes, the Rustbucket pulled up next to us. Gwen quietly helped me to my feet and lead me into the RV, laying me in bed with a small slime. Slowly I felt myself drifting off, and passed out quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aliens  
> Transformed to: Heatblast, Wildmutt, Diamondhead  
> Mentioned: Upgrade, Grey Matter, ??? (Number 11)


	2. The Dash

Letting out a small sigh I glanced over the large equation, gently running a hand through my hair. It was all their, and it all made sense. Every single number the Grey Matter helped me work out, helped me calculate to the final number, showed one thing. I was innocent, but I still couldn't believe it. Mathematically I was innocent, but morally I felt horrible. So many people died because of me because I didn't act fast enough, because I joked around and I couldn't act fast enough. No matter what the math said, it didn't account for what I should have done. The fact that I should have just started attacking. 

'Benjamen, please take a few deep breaths,' Grey Matter whispered, letting out a small sigh. 'You didn't do anything you shouldn't have done. You're a child, you didn't act right away sure, but that is because you are a child with a short attention span.'

'I should have acted.'

'You did'

'I should have been faster.'

'You couldn't have been Benjamen.' He responded, sighing gently. 'Your okay, you did nothing wrong.'

Shaking my head I stood making my way towards the door. I could feel the world around me fading, a ringing entering my ears as I felt my hand drift to the watch. I didn't even bother struggle as I pushed the door open and stepped out. As I did I felt everything fade, everything going cold. For a moment I thought I was already gone, then I saw the screen. I saw the form of a young blue alien, dressed in a black one-piece suit, and a helmet with a long tail on strange balls. 

"Fuck!" I hissed, ramming a fist into the wall. "Why did you do that?"

"Benjie? Please don't swear." The small alien whispered, turning his their attention to me. "I don't like it when people swear."

"Why did you save me?"

"Your family would miss you." They responded with a small smile, kissing my cheek. "But now we are going to protect you."

"I don't want to be protected." I hissed, eyes burning with tears. "I wanted to die."

Before the alien could respond a small alarm went off, a soft blue light flashing. Soon the light turned red and in a brilliant flash, I found myself behind a dark wall. My heart was racing, pounding in my chest as everything started getting heavy. My mind was swirling, growing painfully heavy as I tried to relax. I couldn't breathe, it was like the air was turning to lead with every breath. 

Clenching my fists I started gently hitting the sides of my head. The pressure wasn't that bad but the tapping felt oddly good. It was comforting in a way I knew wasn't healthy. I just needed to release the slowly building pressure to stop the potential meltdown. The terrifying feeling of nothing and everything that was hiding in the corner of my mind. Thankfully the pressure quickly failed, easing out as I tapped.

Taking a deep breath I tangled my hands into my shorts and headed out of the room. There was no way I was just going to stay in the admittedly boring room for who knows how long when I could explore more. I had been here before when Heatblast took over. But I hadn't gone that far. Now I wanted to really meet as many others as I could this time around, make myself known in the Watch. It was a strange place, a place I was going to have to get used to. 

glancing around I smiled at the walls. They were really interesting, mostly a soft silver lined with black and green. Occasionally there was a panel that revealed circuits and wires, which were strangely beautiful. The doors were softwood, even Heatblast's which had a slight singe to it. The only one of the rooms that weren't wood was a solid black with green lines. It was strange, eyecatching. So I headed up to it and knocked. 

"Hello?"

Tilting my head I smiled as a small blob pulled away from the door, a thin green line forming what I could only guess was an eye.

"Hey." 

The small blob's eye squished momentarily upwards before the blob pulled into an almost humanoid shape with a white stomach and green lines almost like a circuit board running down their body. It was beautiful in a strange, amazing way. 

"What' your name?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. "I mean what are you exactly? Gender? Sex? Species?"

The blob let out a small chuckle, rocking on the balls of their feet. "We are Upgrade, we are a Galvanic Mechamorph. We are an agender, sexless species. We don't have a sex or a gender, but others can."

"Can I ask about the 'we?' I mean it's not how most people talk. Is it just how Mechamorphs talk?"

"Sometimes we do, it's an age thing. Since Upgrade is young, since most in the watch are young we talk like this." They responded, smiling again and gently pulled me into a hug. "What about you?"

"Well, I thought that was known." I chuckled rubbing the back of my kneck.

"We have the little information about you that the watch picked up from your DNA but not a lot. We do have some from Heatblast, but he didn't know a lot either."

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Ben, I'm a boy through and through, but I like boys." I whispered, rubbing the back of my kneck. "But you know I'm open to learning still."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Upgrade is not attracted to anyone like that. We learned about things from the mainframe, we have a platonic attraction to people." They responded, gently nuzzling my cheek. "We think you are cute and want to be friends. But big friends, like love friends. Zucinnies!"

"Is their a term for that? Or is it just a crush still?" 

"Squish."

"An that's what you feel for me?"

"We do." They chuckled, "But being normal friends is good."

Pausing I took a few deep breaths I gently kissed their cheek. "I don't know what I feel right now ok? I mean we did kind of just meet you know?"

"We know."

"So I'll think about it, but I think we can be friends... Wait, did you say you wanted to ve a vegetable?"

"Yes, in away. It's just the term."

"That is adorable. That is all adorable, and it's really interesting. I think our friendship could be good for both of us." I said, gently hugging him back with a smile. "This is going to be fun, as long as I can figure a few things out."

"We will help Ben, we will help however we can."

"Thank you Upgrade, I'm just going to look around okay. Lets later alright?"

"Okay, Ben. Have fun."

Pulling back I smiled brightly, gently running a hand through my hair. This was going to be a good day, it was already better than this morning.

* * *

Taking a deep breath I smiled over at XLR8 who was twitching, their leg going a mile a second as they sat in front of me. They seemed nervous and concerned. I couldn't blame them, after all, Ben had seemed fine earlier then he left a moving vehicle.

"You two are quite quiet," Grandpa called, glancing back momentarily. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm worried about Ben."

"He's not okay right now. He hurts, but I think that the Watch is protecting him."

"I know but, I wish I could help."

"He needs time Gwen, and I mean I can't say what he's feeling. I don't know. He didn't give me much and even then I'm not comfortable saying them." They sighed, stretching their entire body, gently cracking a few joints in their tail. "But I know that the others will help, I know him and Gray are close, and I know everyone is friends with Upgrade. Not only that but the watch won't let him hurt himself."

nodding I took a calming breath brushing my bangs out of my eyes. Clipping them in place I smiled and gently rubbing my eye.

"So, about you being out after the red time out flash?"

"Someone has to be out, just to keep stability. So I guess I'm the main form right now, or at minimum locked out. All I really know is that Ben isn't coming out for a bit."

"Okay. So how do Ben's conditions affect you? Or like how will this affect Ben?"

"We aren't sure yet," XLR8 admitted, sighing softly. His leg was twitching again, and his tail was starting to flick. "I'm sorry, I can't sit still."

"I can see that." I chuckled softly, smiling as he playfully pouted. "It's okay, you just need to release some energy."

"I mean you could probably run ahead, the next town isn't too far just a straight shot from here," Grandpa said, smiling back at us. "Just be careful alright, not a lot of people know about aliens and might not be the nicest."

"Okay, I will." With that XLR8 took off. They weren't gone that long however and when they returned they looked terrified.

"What happened?"

"It was dead silent. No one was there at all." They whispered, voice trembling slightly. "It was unnerving, even for being probably a small town."

"Weird, maybe people are just inside." I shrugged, gently pulling them into a gentle hug. "But yeah that would probably be unnerving."

"Lights were off, and there was no street traffic."

"Definitely not normal," I admitted, gently shaking my head and holding them close. "But it could just be a strange little town or an off day."

"Maybe." They sighed, shrugging slightly. "It's just kind of scary."

"I know, we will figure it out. As I said, it's probably nothing but we should be careful." I whispered, kissing their cheek. "It's getting late, so that might have something to do with it."

"Thank you, Gwen."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

As we reached the town a small chill ran down my spine. This wasn't a normal off day or strange little town. There were toppled cars, trees thrown through buildings and no lights at all. It was a ghost town.

"Alright, that's definitely something," I muttered, gently biting my lip. A large shadow slinked through the town and my heart was racing. It felt like it was looking for something, and I couldn't help wonder what it would do if it found us. 

"What is that?" XLR8 muttered, gently biting their lip.

"I don't know, but you should both be careful," Max whispered, driving forward a bit. This seemed to catch the shadow's attention as it charged towards us. XLR8 froze for a moment before rushing towards it, vanishing into the mass. After a bit, the mass shifted to a very humanoid form and started just wailing on them. I heard his tail snap as it was painfully bent. Heading to the door I jumped, bracing for impact only to land only easily, and dashed forward. I couldn't see anything around me, I could just see XLR8 but I could feel my body reacting. 

It wasn't long before I reached the two. Quickly I grabbed XLR8 around the waist and ran back towards the Rustbucket. Grandpa made me about halfway and as I hoped in and rushed off. We didn't have to go too far as once we left the town, the thing stopped chasing, and returned to his parole.

* * *

Taking a break from my search I collapsed onto a large green couch in the centre of what I could only assume was the living room. It was a nice room, but I couldn't help wonder how long I had been inside. Probably a few hours at least. I was exhausted, but that wasn't really much to go off of. I was easily drained as Gwen said, I could hardly trust my own body when it came to time.

Moaning softly I rolled onto my side and curled up. Drifting off slightly I felt the world fade around me until someone grabbed my shoulder. Gasping I recoiled slightly until I realized who it was. Upgrade.

"Sorry Upgrade, I'm alright," I whispered smiling up at him.

"Why did you flinch?"

"I just don't like being grabbed," I admitted, chuckling softly. "You didn't know better, it's okay."

"We are sorry."

"It's okay love, we're good," I whispered, gently kissing their cheek.

Pulling myself to a sitting position, smiling as Upgrade slipped beside me, snuggling into my chest. Their body was somewhat cold but that wasn't really their fault. They were made out of some kind of metal, so of course, they were going to have a chill to them in a slightly chilly room. It was just slightly startling, but I managed not to flinch, I didn't want to worry Upgrade again.

"You two are cute together."

Turning I smiled as Fourarms made his way up to us. The Tetroman was smiling and had all four of his apple red arms were playfully crossed. 

"Yeah, I guess." 

"What is your relationship?" He teased, gently ruffling my hair. "You seem like more than friends but not quite love."

"Queerplatonic." 

"That's interesting." He responded, sitting next to us. "Do you two enjoy it?"

"Of course," I responded with a smile. "I know it may be weird but It works for us."

Chuckling softly I snuggled into Fourarms side as I started drifting slightly. The room was a bit chilly but comfortingly so. I felt safe like nothing could happen to me when I was in the room. it wasn't long before I drifted off into a blank dream.

_Sadly this blankness started fading into a harsh chill. The darkness swirled into an all too familiar room with an all too familiar crowd. My hands were bound above me with a painfully scratchy rope, a rash already forming as something made contact with the side of my head. I couldn't see for the blood that had made its way into my eyes. Several bones were broken, it didn't take a medical report to tell me that. Everything hurt, and the pain wasn't going to go away any time soon._

Jolting awake I let out a small whimper, glancing between Upgrade and Fourarms. Both looked concerned as I forced myself to calm down, tears burning my eyes as the pain stuck. I could feel my body burning despite having physically healed years ago. The pain always returned when I remembered the room, the crowd, the moment. There was nothing I could do against it but curl into a ball and cry until it went away.

Pushing myself into Upgrade I felt my being collapse, tears racking my body. I could hardly breathe but they just held me close, my chest burning with fire as I struggled. Slowly everything faded but I was still exhausted. I could hardly think and my mind had heavily fogged, but I could feel Fourarms gently picking me up, and carrying me somewhere. I couldn't see but I could feel the changes in the temperature around me. Soon I felt what could only be silk sheets and a large bed under me.

"Where are we?"

"Your room." He whispered, gently kissing my forehead. "You should be able to sleep better here."

"How's that?"

"I don't understand it myself, but I find I do at least."

"Thank you." 

Slowly I drifted once again as a warm light hit my skin. It was comforting, luring me into a sort of in-between sleep. Fading the world around me like I was just relaxing, not fully letting it fade, but allowing me to feel calmer and more energised even just at the moment. It was comforting and I felt safe.

_I don't know how long I was in this state before I drifted further. I found myself in a grassy field, laying under a large tree. A soft breeze was blowing, just cool enough to keep me comfortable. Sitting slowly I smiled as my eyes landed on a young boy closer to my age. He had messy black hair, deep brown eyes and pale skin. Despite the warmth, he was in all black, a hoodie with a bleeding heart on the front and black jeans and his ears were pierced. He was beautiful._

_"Hey," I whispered, smiling as he started towards me. "What's your name?"_

_"Hai."_

_"I'm Ben, it's nice to meet you." I said, chuckling with a soft blush."Aren't you warm?"_

_"Not really, I'm naturally cold so." Hai shrugged with a small chuckle. "This is where I'm comfortable. Just like you in a t-shirt and shorts."_

_As Hai sat next to me I gently leaned into his side, taking a calming breath as my heart started racing. I was falling again, for a person who was just a dream, who I didn't know. I didn't know is he felt the same way and that was terrifying. But at the same time, this was my mind and he was someone it was making for me. Perhaps the watch had something to do with it, but if that was then it was probable that he was there to help me heal._

_"Are you alright?"_

_"Yeah, just had a bad past with crushes."_

_"Crushes?"_

_"Yeah crushes."_

_"Well, that's good to know. Now I know to be careful, to take this slow with you, whatever this is going to be. If you have a crush, we can try being a thing, but I want to start as friends." Hai chuckled, kissing my cheek. his voice was soft, loving and I felt myself calming a bit. "You know what this is, don't you?"_

_"Maybe. I've never fully emerged in dreams, even memories." I admitted, rubbing the back of my kneck. "I want to be able to dream normally, but I probably will never be fully able to."_

_"Well, that's part of it. But you are in the watch. What this is is mostly up to you, it's a controlled dream."_

_"So you know that you aren't real?"_

_"I am real Ben, I just don't think I'm what you think I am."_

_"I don't get it."_

_"And that's probably for the best right now. For now, I can just be your dream, and I can be what you need. Sometime you will probably figure it out, or I will be forced to reveal what is behind the curtain, but not now alright?"_

_"Sure Hai, I think that would be nice."_

* * *

kissing XLR8's cheek I took a few deep breaths. They had been out for quite some time, two days to be exact, and they were recovering slowly. Even when I was able to help with little bursts of magic, they were still weak and they were starting to develop a fever. Their tail was still badly twisted, and they were covered in deep scars. 

"Give them space Gwen, they need time."

"I know Granpa but they are hurt and I can help. I need to help."

"I know, and some of my old colleagues are coming to help figure it out, XLR8 is not human Gwen they are a Kineceleran. Their bodies are very different from ours." Grandpa sighed, gently running a hand through my hair/ "From the looks of it their kind is almost extinct."

"What does that mean?"

"Well I'm not an expert but the black tail and 'suit', the three stripes, his exact subsection of Kineceleran is a highly protected species off their planet." 

"Oh, wow. So do you think that's why they are in the watch? To be protected?"

"I don't think that the Aliens are fully the original Gwen, they are their own people. But I know what you mean, to keep the gene going. It's possible that was what Azmith was trying to do." He responded with a small nod. "I doubt there are just ten or even eleven aliens in the watch. They are probably just the only ones that this model is able to properly access." 

"That makes sense."

Letting out a small sigh I headed to bed, waiting for Max to fall asleep. Something had started this, something cause the shadow man to attack not only XLR8 but the town as well. The moment he did I grabbed the metal back and headed out to find more information. It didn't take long to get back to the town, and I started searching. It wasn't too hard to avoid the Shadow, but occasionally I kept seeing a second, smaller shadow.

'What?' I thought, pausing as the larger yanked the smaller into an abandoned store, shouting in a strange language. Sneaking forward one simple thing breached the language barrier as the larger slapped the smaller hard. Judging by the size, it wasn't much older than me or Ben, and the larger was probably a relative. There was still a potential societal barrier but the flinch made me feel like it wasn't normal.

Hiding I waited for the older of the two to leave before entering myself. The young girl was beautiful, with dark plum skin dotted with white freckles that looked like stars, and splashes of pink giving her skin an almost Galaxy look. Her long navy hair reached her mid-back, fading with light pinks and purples. Her eyes were solid white but she looked extremely scared.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here to help." I whispered, smiling as she looked over at me. Her face rose a bit for a moment, then dropped once again. "I and my grandpa are getting help, we can save you."

"No you can't Dad will kill you. He will kill everyone, he told me himself." She hissed, tearing up slightly. It was only really when she started moving towards me that I realized she was naked and had very human parts. "Go, leave and maybe you can find a way to survive."

"I won't leave you here."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Come with me, we can keep you safe until the plumbers arrive."

"I don't know."

"What's your name?" I asked, smiling softly. "I'm Gwen."

"Lunar."

"Alright Luna, I'm not going to leave you alone at all. I am never going to leave you alone again." I said, smiling as she gently snuggled into my side. "Why don't you show me where you are staying?"

"Here, in this store. Dad doesn't visit often unless I leave. So you should be safe for the most part and he never looks in the storage closet so if you have to you can hide there." Lunar said, smiling brightly. "It's nice to have a friend, and I'll keep you safe. But the Plumbers, they probably can't do all that much."

"Well, Grandpa thinks that XLR8 was a protected race of his species, and he killed a lot of people, and he's clearly hurting you."

"But I'm not his."

"I'm sorry?"

"Mom cheated on him. I'm a half breed, we don't have protection at least on our planet." She sighed running a hand through her hair. "And I'm not exactly normal. I'm gender fluid, I like everyone I'm not like most of my species. Both me and Mom were marked as defects, and we were sent to our twin planet to be kept safe by the elders. A place to have some rights, but as a miner, Dad had a claim to me and well..." Lunar's voice broke as she gently started sobbing. "I'm scared Gwen."

"It's okay. You're going to be okay." I whispered, gently kissing her cheek. "You're going to be protected, you are going to be okay."

"Thank you, Gwen, that means a lot to me." He whispered, taking a few calming breaths. "thank you for helping."

"Don't worry about it Lunar. I'll be here for you until the end."

* * *

After a few weeks, Gwen's company became a comfort. She was so kind, and I was starting to see her as something of a sibling. No matter how many times I broke and told her to protect herself, she never left, she just kept protecting me. Luckily Dad never visited and I was able to become close as we weighted for the Plumbers. We lived in a store, after all, a store full of food. As long as nothing seemed off it was fair game and Gwen was learning to 'heal' food.

"Gwen, how much longer do you think things are going to take?" 

"I don't know Lunar, but we need to be patient okay?" She responded, smiling softly. "I don't think it will be much longer."

"I know, I'm scared."

"And that's to be expected. You were hurt for a long time. You're probably going to be jumpy and you might have a hard time trusting people." Gwen chuckled softly, gently taking my hands. "And what comes after might be a bit scary, but we will help you through that as much as we can."

"Thank you, Gwen," I whispered, handing over a small chunk of bread. "I want to stay with you after this if I can."

"Well I don't know about with me, but my cousin's parents might be willing to."

Laying against her side I froze as the door exploded off its hinges crashing to the ground. My heart began racing and I quickly ushered Gwen to the closet as I took note of Dad's shadow. We couldn't get very far before he was upon us. before he could grab Gwen however, XLR8 pulled her out of the way then they returned for me. As he ran we pass a large group of men is strange outfits, symbols like the one on XLR8's chest. The Plumbers. It didn't help my racing heart all that much, because I knew things were going to change drastically. Noting was going to be the same no matter what, better or worse."

it was about an hour before anyone came to talk to us, and I was dressed in a simple long red dress. I wasn't really paying attention to what anyone was asking, but I could hear myself responding every now and again, mostly a yes or a no, sometimes an I don't know or maybe. I knew it was important I just couldn't focus on one thing at a time. My species were violent by nature, and they probably didn't want to risk anything, but I was not like them and I didn't want to leave.

"Hey, Lunar?" Turning to the older man I smiled softly with a respectful nod. "You're being really brave, this should be over soon alright?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"And One last thing, you are going to be staying with us alright. At least until we can find you a full-time home."

"Really?"

"Yes, so I should introduce myself. I am Max Tenison, but you can call me Grandpa Max."

"Thank you, sir, it's going to take some time but I'll try," I responded, gently running a hand through my hair. "Since everyone is dead, do I get a free wardrobe?" 

Max chuckled softly turning to a co-worker who kind of just shrugged. "Towns dead, take what you need before it gets moved."

"When this is all over we will get you some stuff of your own alright?"

"Thank you, and yeah. I'm just kind of scared, I know everything will get better but its a huge unknown."

"I know Lunar, but that's something we will all face together. It will take some time but everything will sort itself out eventually."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aliens  
> Turned into: XLR8  
> Talked to in the Watch: Upgrade, Four Arms, Gray Mater  
> Other: The Quara Delik (Play on Qara dəlik, which google translate says is Azerbaijani for Blackhole)


	3. Washington B.C

Taking a deep breath I headed towards the large building, a small shudder running down my spine. The large inferno was lighting the sky like it wasn't almost the middle of the night. Fear tugged at my heart as I tried to figure out the best way of dealing with the flame. Put it out first or just go for the survivors.

'Put it out, it will probably be easier.' Ben suggested fear in his voice. 'Give more people a chance.'

Nodding I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and holding my hands in front of me. Relaxing I opened my eyes once again and started pulling the fire to my hands, causing a large swirling vortex, slowly funnelling into my hands. It was probably a terrifying sight for anyone in the building and I could feel slight fear as I wondered if anyone had gotten hit my the initial tug.

Thankfully it didn't take too long for the fire to go out, and I headed quickly to the building. Heading in I slowly started taking survivors to safety, ones that hadn't been able to escape. One of them was a small girl who had gone back for her teddy. Returning her to her mother I headed back to the Rustbucket, climbing atop of it as Grandpa Max started speeding off. This had all started with a bank robbery, but I couldn't leave anyone in danger after they set off an explosion in a nearby building. They were no longer just robbers anymore, now they were murderers and I couldn't stand for it.

"What are you going to do when we catch up?" Gwen shouted from the window as we started nearing the car.

"I'm not waiting for us to catch up?"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"A clear shot!" I responded, narrowing my eyes slightly. Soon the car between us moved and I shot a small but strong ember to the tire. This caused it to explode with a loud bang, and the car swerved. Letting out a small sigh I jumped to the roof and pulled the two men out as the car flipped. Tossing them to the ground I let out a small sigh as the watch started beeping heading to the Rustbucket as Police cars started arriving. As I climbed on the watch timed out and I was pulled back into the watch.

* * *

Making my way down the lanes I smiled over at Lunar as we reached the cereal lane. Stopping I held out a hand for them to hold up and nodded to the boxes.

"We should find some rare trading cards, it should be fun," I whispered, smiling as they nodded eagerly. "Alright I'll take the left and you take the right."

At Lunars nod I turned the dial on the Omnitrix and pressed down on it, allowing my form to melt into Gray Matters. With that, I hopped up onto the lowest shelf and started tearing into the boxes, making a small stack of cards as I went. Soon I made my way to the next shelf and continued digging. I still hadn't found the limited edition card that I wanted but in a strange way, it was kind of fun.

'It's illegal.' Gray Matter sighed. 'Not to mention inefficient.'

'But out, it working and it's not that bad.'

Gray Matter didn't respond as I lifted myself to the next part of the shelf. It wasn't long before I made my way through it and the top. Glancing over at Lunar I smiled as I realized she was making good progress. Heading back to work I made my way down the aisle. 

"What are you doing?" Gwen hissed suddenly, grabbing my attention as I popped up from afar box. "What is all this?"

"We are looking for cards," Lunar responded with a small smile. "Ben said it would be fun."

"Ben, what the hell?"

"I wanted a rare card, it's a limited edition," I responded with a small chuckle. "And we are making good progress." 

"This is either horribly wrong or absolutely illegal!"

"Relax Gwen," I huffed quickly jumping into another box as Lunar let out a small whimper. "Your scaring Lunar."

"That doesn't make it any less wrong!"

Rolling my eyes as I hopped into another box, pausing in my rummaging as I heard a shout. I wasn't paying attention but something told me it was an employee. When the shouting stopped I hopped out as the watch timed out. Collecting the cards I pocketed them as Max and the Employee returned. A small chill ran down my spine as Max glaired daggers towards me and Gwen. 

"Of course I will pay for it, and I apologise for the mess." His voice was cold, and it was clear he was not impressed. "We are almost done here and we will be on our way."

As the employee left Lunar returned, gently rubbing the back of her kneck as Max let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry sir."

"Don't. We will talk in the Rustbucket." He sighed, nodding for us to follow.

Entering the Rustbucket I collapsed into the couch, letting out a small sigh. I knew it was wrong and I had long since toned Grandpa out as he scolded first Gwen then Lunar. As he got to me I shook my head slightly. I wasn't really listening until I heard one simple word. "Grounded."

"I'm sorry."

"I know Ben, and you can explain yourself, just not right now." He sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You kneed to talk to someone Ben and we need to get you help. This is not a normal reaction to anything."

"How long?"

"Four days, two if you can somehow either make it up or give a good reason." He sighed, gently shaking his head, then heading to the driver seat.

* * *

Shifting through a rack of t-shirts I smiled, picking a few that I liked to try on. Placing them in the cart I started on pyjamas. Cloaths meant a lot to me, it helped me show how I was feeling. it helped me fit into the gender that I was aligned with the gender that my mind insisted that I was at the moment. 

"You aren't getting all of those are you?" Gwen asked, gently shaking her head as she made her way to my side. "I mean I know it means a lot to you but this is excessive."

"Of course not," I responded, chuckling softly. "I'm just getting some things to try on." 

Gwen sighed gently, heading to find Grandpa. She didn't seem particularly interested in shopping anymore and I didn't blame her. It was normally somewhat boring to shop for me, having lived in a Grocery store for a good amount of my life. But when I was in control or it was something different it was strangely nice. Sighing softly I froze as a loud bang caught my attention. Slipping into the shadows I headed to see what was making the sound. It wasn't long before I found the source, a giant frog. Or perhaps it was a toad. Either way, it didn't seem normal.

Heading back to my shopping I took the few things I knew would fit then headed to find Grandpa Max. It didn't take long before I found him.

"There is a giant frog over near the clothes," I said, tossing them into the proper cart.

"What?"

"Yeah, with a man on top of it," I responded, gently biting ky lip. "I think that's not normal."

"Definitely not." At the response, I started leading Ben and Gwen to the frog. 

"The watch is timed out." Ben hissed supply as we reached my cart.

"What?"

"The watch hasn't timed in yet." He hissed, gently biting his lip. "I'm sorry." Before I could react the frog leapt out of the building, bounding off quickly.

"What the hell Ben! Seriously this is part of the reason why your stupid run of trading cards as Gray Matter!" Gwen hissed, grabbing fast at Ben's wrist, grabbing him and dragging him back towards Grandpa Max. As she did Ben let out a terrified shout and fell to the ground sobbing. Gwen's eyes widened momentarily before she released him, quickly turning to apologise as Ben panicked.

Slowly Ben started hitting the sides of his head before either of us could react. Swallowing gently I shot Gwen a half-hearted glare as I gently placed my scarf between his hands. It wouldn't do much but it would help to an extent.

"Why did you grab him?"

"I'm sorry."

"He's not the only one who should talk to people. You know Ben doesn't like his hands being grabbed, why would you do that?"

"I just got upset and I wasn't thinking. I didn't do anything that others wouldn't, even knowing that he has issues." She sighed shaking her head. "But I am sorry."

"I know Gwen, I know you didn't mean to hurt him."

Thankfully it didn't take mong for Ben to calm down this time, and he didn't seem too disoriented. Helping him to his feet I smiled as he let out a small sigh. It was clearly not a bad episode ad he was already slightly recovered.

"Let's get out of here." Ben sighed, gently rubbing an eye. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"Yeah, that's fair," Gwen whispered, gently rubbing her kneck. "I really am sorry Ben."

* * *

Unlocking my computer I sighed as I started searching for whatever I could find on the strange man. He hadn't really done all that much, but at the same time something just seemed off about him. Soon I found what I wanted.

"Alright, so apparently that was Doctor Aloysius James Animo, a defamed scientist who lost some fancy award to Doctor Kelly. He dropped from popularity due to his twisted experiments." I sighed, gently pinching the bridge of my nose. "It's probable that he was just testing out his machine to attack the award that is being gifted to Kelly for his scientific discoveries."

"So what do you think is next?" Ben asked, sitting across from me with a small sigh. "I just want to get him for making me look stupider than I already am."

"Go easy on yourself Ben," Lunar said smiling softly. "You just make bad choices sometimes, but don't we all?"

"Yeah Ben, but I think I know where he is going to attack. The Natural History Museum. After all, who wouldn't have resurrection on their mind control machine if they truly wanted an award they felt like they lost unfairly."

"I guess so."

It didn't take long before we reached the Museum and headed to investigate. Ben looked somewhat tired, but determined as well. Lunar seemed somewhat obliviously excited, but I could see terror hidden behind their eyes. The abuse had damaged their world view, but I never realized how much this could hurt her.

"You okay?" I whispered, gently placing a hand on their shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll be alright." They responded, nodding gently as I pushed the doors open.

Splitting off from Ben and Lunar I quickly sharted my search, shuddering gently as I ducked between exhibits. Something just felt painfully off and I couldn't place just what it was. Taking a calming breath I braced for whatever was going to happen, making sure to keep as hidden as I could before I heard a loud shout. Shuddering I rushed towards the source only to find Fourarms locked in battle with a Mammoth, just managing to hold it in place by the tusks.

"Four Arms?"

"Gwen! Go help Lunar, they headed into the next room after Animo! I'll hold this thing off!" He shouted, slipping slightly before regaining his footing. "Go!"

"Right!"

Dashing into the next room I made my way to Lunar's side as Animo quickly let out a maniacal laugh. His smirk was terrifying from his perch on top of his giant frog. 

"You truly think that you will be able to defeat me? A bunch of children. Sure you have some strange abilities but that means little to me. I will get my award and none of you will be able to stop me!" Before I could respond his helmet shot a ray of yellow light at the T-rex which started slowly regrowing muscle and most of its skin. It didn't get all of it back as it snapped at Lunar. Luckily she was able to slip out of the way before climbing onto its back and slowly digging shadowy claws deep into its shoulders. Taking a few deep breaths I quickly turned to Animo, eyes narrowing as I allowed magic to pool into my hands before throwing ball after ball of energy at his head. Sadly it did next to nothing against the giant frog.

"Interesting strategy, but there is nothing you can do. Well, you could act as an even greater distraction than just those two." Animo sneered. With a single snap, a large bird swooped down, wrapping its talons around my chest. I couldn't even scream before I was lifted into the sky away from my family.

* * *

"Gwen!" I hissed launching the T-rex into the wall, hissing as it started quickly deteriorating. Hopping to the ground I let out a pained scream, falling to my knees. For a moment everything went quiet, save for the distant beeping of the Omnitrix before it too went silent. "Fuck Gwen! No!"

"Lunar? What happened!" Ben hissed running into the room. He looked beyond terrified as I simply pointed to the roof. "What happened?"

"Animo took Gwen!" 

"What?"

"He had a giant bird, I don't know what he said to her I was preoccupied. But I couldn't do anything, I was still trying not to be killed by a t-rex." I whimpered, gently rubbing my eye. "I'm sorry Ben,I'm so sorry."

"We have to find them!"

"I know, I know. We will. We just have to think, we need to calm down and think." I whispered taking a few deep breaths. "Alright, let's take a few breaths and figure this out. Not only do we have to figure out were Gwen will be going but also Animo."

"How is that going to get Gwen back?"

"Because you are going after Gwen, me and Grandpa Max are going to go after Animo. Also, It's probable that Animo will try to put a lot of distance between himself and wherever he is going to strand Gwen."

Ben let a small whimper before nodding, gently rocking on the spot. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and headed back towards the Rustbucket, hands still trembling, clenched into his shirt.

"Ben?"

"Yeah Lunar?"

"Are you okay?" I whispered, gently pulling him into a hug. "You know we will find Gwen right?"

"I know Lunar, I know I'm just scared." He huffed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want anything to happen to her, she doesn't deserve to be just a damsel in distress. That's not who Gwen is! She is smarter than that and if she had more training and wasn't fighting a stupid frog she wouldn't be in this position. If I hadn't waisted the Watch in the Mart then none of this would be happening right now! This is my fault Lunar, all of this is my fault!"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is! Just because I wanted to get some stupid rare card my cousin is going to be murdered and it's all my fault." Ben hissed, tearing up painfully as he pulled out of my hold, burring himself under his sheets and sobbing. For a moment I considered comforting him but decided not to, he needed space and my words had only made things worse. It was hard seeing him like that but there was nothing I could really do.

"Don't worry Lunar, he'll come through eventually."

"I know, I just worry about him."

* * *

_Falling into the darkness of sleep I shuddered, a deep cold clutching to my bones. I couldn't see anything but I could hear screaming all around me. Gwen's, Grandpa Max's, Lunar's everyone I knew and loved screaming around me in pain and terror. I couldn't move, I couldn't even think as I floated through the void of screams._

_"Ben!"_

_Upgrade's voice was faint, distant. But I_ _could still vaguely hear it._

_"Ben! You have to listen to us. Focus on the watch!"_

_Whimpering slightly I squeezed my eyes closed, focusing on the source of their voice. It was hard but slowly I felt myself falling to the Watch slowly waking as I landed on the cold metal ground._

"Ben?" upgrade whispered gently pulling me into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Not really, but I'll heal." I sighed, gently rubbing my eye before returning the hug. "I'm worried about Gwen."

"I know Ben, but we can't do anything quite yet."

"I know. I'm sorry for worrying you love." I whispered, kissing their forehead. "I just, I'm so tired."

"It's okay Ben, we can go to bed." 

Chuckling softly I nuzzled into their chest as they gently picked me up and headed towards my room. As they gently placed me on my bed I was just able to get under the sheets before I drifted off to sleep.

_Falling into the dream world, landing in my patch of grass under the tree. Taking a deep breath I smiled as Hai made his way to my side. Unlike before he was now in a longsleeved black shirt under a t-shirt like my favourite, and blue jeans._

_"Did you just take that from my closet?" I teased, chuckling as he blushed. "Can you do that?"_

_"Well yes, but If you don't want me to I won't any more."_

_"It's fine Hai, I doubt it actually affects much in the watch." I chuckled softly, running a hand through my hair. With a small sigh "I really am sorry if I worried you guys."_

_"Don't worry about it too much Ben, you're not doing well. But that's okay, your going to heal." Hai said, smiling brightly and gently pulling me into a hug. "We will figure things out tomorrow."_

_"Alright. Thank you, Hai."_

* * *

Waking with a small moan I gently rubbed my eye, looking between Grandpa Max and Lunar as I made my way into the main living area of the Rustbucket. I had managed to somewhat 'recharge' but the fear in my chest was already draining my energy. We had to get Gwen and Animo, and we had to do it fast.

"We have some good news," Grandpa said pushing the door open as we hit a cross-section of the road. "Washington Monument, that's where Gwen is. Your the only one who has even a remote chance of getting to her before something bad happens."

"I'm sorry, why didn't you wake me when you got the call?" I demanded, shaking my head and quickly transforming, into Stinkfly.

I had been aiming for XLR8, but he was going to have to work. Hopping out of the car I let out a shocked laugh at the sheer speed that I was reaching, managing to keep up with several cars under me. It wasn't all that long before I found Gwen, calmly sitting on a magical block. as she noticed me her eyebrows furrowed for a second before it clearly clicked who I was. The giant ass bird was pinned to the ground with magic.

"Okay, so your fine."

"And you smell like crap, I can get down myself." She teased, slowly walking down a glowing line of the sheets. She was getting good, but then again I suppose she had to, she was trapped on the Monument for who knows how long.

"You are okay though right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." She smiled, slipping down the side of a nearby tree. She seemed slightly tired, yawning as the Watch timed out. "What is that one called?"

"I... Didn't even think to ask." I admitted, gently rubbing the back of my head. "I'm not even certain how the names work really, none of them fully seem like names. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, it's like they are kids choosing their names to some extent."

After a moment I flopped down next to my cousin. Part of me wanted to help Grandpa Max and Lunar but at the same time, well there was no way me and Gewn would be able to get there in time to do anything of use, not really. Closing my eyes I jumped as a buzzing entered my ear like a fly was next to me.

"You good?"

'My name is Stink Fly. Well not really, but you can call me that.'

"Jesus fucking Crist, that scared me." I hissed, taking a few deep breaths.

"Ben?"

"Stink Fly, he's taken the name Stink Fly." I sighed, heart, pounding in my chest as the buzzing faded. "I just hope that doesn't happen every time he wants to get my attention because if it does, I'm going to end up hitting myself."

"Overwhelming?"

"I thought there was a fly trying to enter my ear." I hissed, chucking as Gwen shuddered a little. "You felt that didn't you?"

"Yes, did you expect me not to?" She hissed, but there was a note of humour in her voice, a light pink glow surrounding her. After a moment I decided to risk it.

"Gewn, this might sound weirds... Can you see colours?"

"I mean, I'm not colour blind. It's actually..."

"No, I mean, around people." I whispered, head falling as she gently frowned, blue entering her glow. After a bit, she spoke.

"Explain it to me."

"It's like, there's a glow around people. I can't always see it, but if I look at just the right angle I can see it around people. I don't know, that's not really fully it, I just..."

"Auras. Ben, it sounds like you have some ability to see auras." She said, face lighting up. "I've only ever read about that, it's such a fine ability, no one really knows how it works. Could also be a seizure but that's not actually the most likely outcome."

Taking a few deep breaths I smiled. The 'Aura' had faded again, but I at least had a name for it. Part of wondered if I would be able to learn when I wanted to see it, but that wasn't important at the moment. What was the passage of time, my eyes landing on the Omnitrix as it turned green. Ten minutes, if things went well it wouldn't be too long before Grandpa Max and Lunar picked us up.

Of course, there were also traffic laws and street workings. Shaking my head I sighed, everything was fine, but the numbers were starting to run. Twenty minutes was the optimal time. 

It wasn't long before a beep caught my attention and I turned. Pushing myself to my feet I headed to the Rustbucket, climbing on with a smile. Things were going to just keep getting more interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transformed to: Heatblast, Gray Matter, Fourarms, Stinkfly  
> Talked to Withing the Watch: Upgrade


End file.
